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How to Become a Notary in Minnesota Form

How to Become a Notary in Minnesota.pdf Use this as a guide when filing your application with the Secretary of State.Download

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Notary Commission Guide
From the Offi ce of the Minnesota Secretary of State 	       	
As a notary public, you are an appointed and commissioned offi  cer that serves the public by 
administering oaths and acti  ng as an offi  cial witness to people who seek your assistance in certi fying or 
att esti  ng to documents.
CONGRATULATIONS!
NOTARY CHECKLIST:
Follow these next steps to prepare you for your duti es:
•   Register your commission with the county in which 
you reside. If you are not a Minnesota resident, 
you may register in any Minnesota county. The fee 
to register a commission with a county is $20. Visit 
www.sos.state.mn.us for county offi  ce locati ons. 
•   Submit two sample signatures to the county
     when registering your commission: one that
     includes your full name as listed on the commission 
and one that is your normal signature, which you 
should use to sign all notarial acts.
•   Purchase a notary stamp from a stamp 
     manufacturer or offi  ce supply store. It must contain 
the state seal, the term “Notary Public,” your name 
as it appears on your notary certi fi cate, and the 
commission expirati  on date. See Minnesota Statutes 
359.03, subd. 3 for additi  onal stamp requirements. 
If it is ever lost or stolen, contact the Offi  ce of the 
Minnesota Secretary of State.
•   Obtain a journal to keep a record of your notarial 
     acts (opti  onal–see “Notarial Journal” secti on for 
     more informati on).
•   Ask your employer or insurance provider if securing   
     a bond or insurance is necessary.
•   Seek additi  onal training and educati on (opti onal).
Visit 	
htt p://notary.sos.state.mn.us	 for more 
       informati on.
•   Review Minnesota Statutes chapters 357, 358 and 
359 at 	
www.leg.state.mn.us 	to familiarize yourself 
with notary requirements.	
PERFORMING YOUR DUTIES:
You may only perform notarial acts if:
1.   the document signer appears in person before  
       you; and
2.   you are in the state of Minnesota at the ti me.
NOTARIAL ACTS:
As a notary, you will likely perform the following:
1.  Witnessing signatures.
2.  Att esti  ng to copies of documents. Notaries evaluate
     copied documents to determine that they are complete
     and correct reproducti  ons of the original documents.
3.  Certi  fying that the document signer swears (or affi  rms)   
 that the document contents are truthful.	
You may charge up to $1 for most notarial acts  
(see Minnesota Statutes, secti  on 357.17 for a list 
of excepti ons). 4.  Providing acknowledgments, which means certi fying
      that the signature already appearing on the 
      document is genuine. If individuals have signed on 
      behalf of another person or an organizati on, they 
must also demonstrate their authority to do so (see 
page 3 for example).
5.   Administering writt en oaths.
6.  Administering oral oaths. Oath-takers must raise 
      their hand and say the oath aloud.	
Offi ce of the Minnesota Secretary of State | Business Center & Service Counter | 60 Empire Drive, Suite 100
 Retirement Systems Building of Minnesota | St. Paul, MN 55103 | 651-296-2803 | MN Relay Service 711 | [email protected] 
 http//notary.sos.state.mn.us

Notary Commission Guide                                    	Page 2	
NOTARIZING A DOCUMENT
There are six steps to notarizing a document:
4.   Complete the certi fi cate or “jurat,” to certi  fy that the 
document was signed, sworn to, or  acknowledged in 
front of you. The certi fi cate will usually be pre-printed 
on documents with blanks for you to fi ll in the following 
         informati on: 	
DO NOT NOTARIZE IF:
•   The document signer or oath-taker does not 
      personally appear before you.
•   The document signer or oath-taker appears 
      unwilling or coerced.
•   The document signer does not provide 
      sati  sfactory evidence that he or she is the 
      person whose true signature appears on the 
      document.
•   You have not fully completed the certi fi cate 
      or jurat.
•   You are outside of the State of Minnesota.  
•   The document is an original birth, death or 
      marriage certi fi cate. Certi fi ed copies should  be 
obtained from the Minnesota Department of 
Health or the county.
•   You believe the document or transacti on is 
       decepti  ve or fraudulent.
•   You are the signer of the document to be  
      notarized.
•   You will profi t or gain from the transacti on.
•   You do not have adequate ti  me to carry out 
      the notarial act properly.
•   You believe doing so will violate the law      
      governing notarial acts.
•   There is a potenti  al for a confl ict of interest 
      (i.e., notarizing for a family member). 1.    Verify the identi  ty of document signers  either by 
         seeing their identi fi cati  on or by having a credible 
       witness swear to their i denti  ty (verifying identi ti  es         
 is not necessary  if you personally know the document    
 signers).
2.   Verify a document signer’s willingness to sign the 
        document.
3.   Perform the notarial act.
GUIDELINES FOR NOTARIES
No Advice: Do not provide unauthorized advice or 
services; leave that to the experts in those fi elds.
Privacy: Respect the privacy of each signer and do 
not divulge or use personal or proprietary 
informati  on disclosed during the executi  on of a 
notarial act for other than an offi  cial purpose.	
a.  the state (Minnesota) and the county 
in which you are administering the 
notarial act;
b.  the date;
c.   the names of the document signers;
d.  your signature;
e.  your ti tle; and
f.   the date that your commission expires. 	
    Be sure to use your normal signature when signing.
    Please note, if your name is typed or   printed as part of
    the certi fi cate, it must be in the same form as it 
    appears on your stamp and your notary commission.
5.   Affi  x your stamp to the document.  
6.   Record the notarial act in your journal
      (opti  onal–see “Notarial Journal” secti on for 
      more informati on).	
Offi ce of the Minnesota Secretary of State | Business Center & Service Counter | 60 Empire Drive, Suite 100
 Retirement Systems Building of Minnesota | St. Paul, MN 55103 | 651-296-2803 | MN Relay Service 711 | [email protected] 
 http//notary.sos.state.mn.us

Notary Commission Guide                                    	Page 3	
NOTARIAL JOURNAL
State law does not require a notary to keep records of 
their offi  cial acts.  However, it is recommended that you 
keep a journal to assist in recalling what you have done, if 
needed or if legally challenged. You should record the 
following informati on:
1.   Date
2.   Type of notarial act
3.   A descripti  on of the document
4.   The signature, printed name and 
       address of each document signer
5.   How the signer proved their identi ty
6.   County
7.   Fee charged, if any
Safeguard your journal because it serves as an 
important public record. Please note, even if you became 
a notary as a functi  on of your employment, the stamp and 
journal are your personal property.
EXAMPLE CERTIFICATE 
FOR AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Below is an example of the certi fi cate that a notary 
completes for an acknowledgment of an individual who 
signed on his or her own behalf. For other examples see 
Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 358.48. 	
This document is available 
in alternati ve formats.	
This is a general guide and is not intended to provide 
guidance for every situati  on you may encounter as a 
notary.  If at anyti  me you are unsure how to proceed, 
it is recommended you seek legal advice; as a notary 
you may be criminally and civilly liable for any 
negligent or fraudulent acts.•  To cancel your commission, email the 
      Offi  ce of the Secretary of State at 
      [email protected], or call us at 
      651-296-2803 or toll free at 1-877-551-6767   
      and press opti on #3. •   Register any name or address changes with 
the Offi  ce of the Secretary of State within 30 
days of the change.
•   Renew your commission with the Offi  ce of 
      the Secretary of State and re-register with 
      your county every fi ve years.
KEEPING YOUR COMMISSION
UPsT0sDATE	
(Signature of notarial offi  cer)
Title (and Rank)
My Commission Expires:
dd/mm/yyyy	
STATE OF MINNESOTA  
COUNTY OF 
This instrument was acknowledged before me on
.......(date) by ..................(name(s) of document 
signer(s)).	
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
60 Empire Drive, Suite 100
Reti  rement Systems Building of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN 55103
Web site: htt p://notary.sos.state.mn.us
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: 651-215-1009
Phone: 651-296-2803
Toll Free: 1-877-551-6767
Minnesota Relay Service: 711	
Offi ce of the Minnesota Secretary of State | Business Center & Service Counter | 60 Empire Drive, Suite 100
 Retirement Systems Building of Minnesota | St. Paul, MN 55103 | 651-296-2803 | MN Relay Service 711 | [email protected] 
 http//notary.sos.state.mn.us
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